The present invention relates to circuit board accessories, and more particularly to a circuit board combination ejector and guide for attachment to an extender circuit board to provide a secure connection between the extender circuit board and an equipment circuit board.
In the testing of electronic equipment, circuit boards may be tested independently at a test bench, but preferably are tested in situ, i.e., while still installed in the equipment. To test the circuit boards in situ requires some means of making the circuit boards accessible. Accessibility is obtained by removing the circuit board to be tested and by replacing it with an extender board that provides extender connectors at an outer edge and circuit connectors at an inner edge for connection to corresponding equipment connectors. Electrical connections are provided between the inner edge connectors and the extender connectors so that the extender connectors are equivalent to the equipment connectors. The circuit board to be tested is then connected to the extender connectors in lieu of the equipment connectors so that the circuit board is outside the euipment while still being electrically in situ, thus making all testing points on the circuit board readily accessible.
The circuit board generally has some sort of ejector mechanism to assist in removing the circuit board from the equipment, and the equipment provides guides to assist in properly installing the circuit board. However when the circuit board is connected to the extender circuit board, the circuit board ejector mechanism is not functional for removing the circuit board from the extender circuit board and there are no means for guiding and holding the circuit board for assistance in installing securely the circuit board on the extender circuit board.
What is desired is a circuit board ejector/guide for attachment to an extender circuit board that assists and securely holds a circuit board to be tested when connected to the extender circuit board while providing a means for using the circuit board ejector to assist in removing the circuit board from the extender circuit board.